Passionately organic

The rhythmic, dark, juicy sounds of crickets, and the idyllic birds -- it's like stepping into summer as one views Brad Kennedy's video of Blue Dog Greens, a Bangor farm owned by Dennis Wilcox and Genevieve Malek.

In Kennedy's footage, a Science Friday-featured video, viewers are introduced to Wilcox and shown images of his neat rows of leafy greens and his blue heeler, Eva "The Blue Dog."

As the video continues, Wilcox displays a handful of "quick radishes," a "purple plum": "The French eat them for breakfast. It's odd, I think -- no, I'm joking." He laughs.
Wilcox explains how he came to be an organic farmer in Michigan. "I was really looking for land to start a farm. I knew how I felt about the earth ... and how I wanted to sustain myself and my family.

"I could just do what I'm pretty good at. I could grow crops, and I can go out there and try to market it. I could be a househusband and stay at home and earn money."

Kneeling by a row of greens -- the "snip, snip, snip" of his scissors in the background -- Wilcox describes the ingredients in his best-seller, the mixed baby greens. The farm sold "40 pounds last week," and every year it's selling more.

The video, produced by LuckyDog Media, closes with the happy blue dog, Eva, crouching playfully in the grasses. The video is a palpable, richly sensual introduction to the local southwestern Michigan world of Community Supported Agriculture and the Blue Dog Greens farm.

An obvious choice

In 2002, Wilcox and Malek purchased 30 of the former School of Homesteading's acreage. Another 40 belongs to the Eaters' Guild Farm, the remainder owned by Maynard and Sally Kaufman, who founded the School of Homesteading in 1973. The homestead school was part of the "back to the land movement," Wilcox said. Students from Western Michigan University were interns in the '80s and the school taught basic homesteading practices.

The School of Homesteading had been certified organic since 1973, so when the property in Bangor became available for purchase, the choice was obvious to Wilcox and Malek.

One of Oregon Tilth's requirements for a certified organic property, as stated in its online certification packet, is that the land "have had no prohibited substances ... applied to it for a period of three years immediately preceding harvesting of the crop."
The Blue Dog Greens farmland has been certified organic for more than 30 years, Wilcox said.

The farm's name comes -- in part -- from Wilcox being once employed by the farm Sustainable Greens in Three Rivers and having admired the name. Wilcox and Malek also wanted to "put a cute face on their farm," he said, so they combined "greens" with their "blue dog" Eva.

Wholly organic

The farm has 12 open fields in production, with five to seven acres in vegetables and herbs, three greenhouses and two high tunnels -- single-covered smaller greenhouses featuring such items as sunflowers, heirloom melons and heirloom tomatoes.

Jonathon Gruenke | GazetteDennis Wilcox of Bangor owns and operates Blue Dog Greens, an organic farm. Wilcox uses solar power to provide energy to his cabin on the farm.

There's a washroom for washing the vegetables, a woodshed and a temporary, seasonal cabin powered by solar -- 160 watts. A generator pumps the well water for Wilcox and Malek's domestic and farm needs, and in the fall, they began construction on a house. A barn and chicken coop are in the future -- and the entire farm will be off the grid, using solar panels and --eventually -- a wind generator.

While their raspberries and blackberries failed last year because of the "dryness" in past seasons, they've planted peach trees and alfalfa hay, and next year plan to "rent sugar maple trees" from a nearby farm and sell the maple syrup.

Blue Dog Greens has three markets: A full table, Booth No. 90 at the Bank Street Farmers' Market in Kalamazoo; the local co-op, food stores and eight local restaurants; and the CSA, subscribers who pay in advance for a share of the harvest.

Jonathon Gruenke | GazetteDennis Wilcox of Bangor owns and operates Blue Dog Greens, an organic farm named after his Australian cattle dog, Eva.

At the Bank Street Farmers' Market, local vendors sell everything "from A to Z," Wilcox said. "Farmers bring their best stuff. (It's a) real event; it's been around for 60 years."

A community gathering place of friends and newcomers, it's an "exciting celebration of food" every Saturday from May through November. Last year, "restaurant sales were strong," Wilcox said, and sales were "way ahead of past years."

A year ago people had "the spinach scare in California" on their minds, so he had no idea that they'd do "so much better than in past years. There's a new awareness," he says, and an explosion of media coverage regarding certified-organic foods.

During the season, the farmers work 18- to 20-hour days, so eventually Wilcox hopes not to work quite so hard, with more time to "travel and live." He'll increase his nonprofit work, and spend more time "serving the community."

To buy produce shares, one must plan ahead

People interested in community-supported agriculture can locate a nearby farm through the Web site localharvest.org. Here's a partial list of area CSA farms. The farms listed no longer have shares available for this summer's crops, but one is already selling shares for winter. To buy shares for winter or next spring, contact the farms for more information.

About CSA
A Community Supported Agriculture farm produces vegetables for a group of farm members or subscribers who pay in advance for their share of the harvest. csafarms.org

&bull Eaters Guild, Bangor. Winter and summer shares. Wide range of fruits and vegetables. Now accepting $235 for a share of a 20-week winter season, which starts in late September to early October. (269) 427-0423 or eatersguild.com.